NEWS

IT Skills - A shortage threatens

Posted on 04October2017

There will be a shortage of approximately 500,000 cyber security experts in Europe by 2020. Worldwide, it is likely that more than 1.5 million people will miss out on this demand. The needs may vary from country to country, but the overall trend is the same everywhere: cybersecurity has become a central issue for both business strategy and recruitment.

In France, the recruitment of IT personnel competent in cybersecurity represents a challenge for 1/3 of all IT managers. In Germany, half of these managers have recruitment problems… In the United Kingdom, 38% of companies suffer from a deficit in cybersecurity IT skills.

The « Wannacry » malware attack during the spring of 2017 tragically demonstrated the need for specialized cybersecurity skills to deal with large-scale, disastrous attacks. You need strong nerves to managing a crisis like this, but it is not enough: you have to know exactly what to do to identify and contain the threat, and then act to reduce or even eliminate it. The goal is to be able to prevent the attack from happening … But here too, you need skills in risk management and the widest possible dissemination of good practices among your staff.

“Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. Stop. Think. Connect!”, is the particularly relevant slogan for the European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM), which will run throughout the month of October 2017. In Luxembourg, Cybersecurity Week was organized as part of ECSM. Among the many events this week, three of these will be specifically dedicated to the development and enhancement of cybersecurity skills and careers:

These programs are designed to raise the curiosity of young people so that they are not simply passive consumers of “digital native” technologies, but that they become capable of creating and adapting the tools of tomorrow.

The progression and diversification of cyberattacks is obviously not insignificant. Companies also have legal obligations regarding data protection. Obligations that will be strengthened in 2018, with the advent of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). In this context, companies are increasingly looking for cybersecurity experts who can provide both protection against threats and assure compliance with regulations. Given the emerging shortage, employers are preparing to recruit employees whose profiles may not reflect initial cybersecurity training but who demonstrate the ability and desire to train “on the job”.